Casualties reported in school shooting in US state of Georgia

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At least four people reported dead and dozens injured in southern state in the latest school shooting to rattle US.

Law enforcement has responded to a shooting at a high school in Georgia, in the southern United States, with reports of at least four people killed.

The news channel CNN quoted an unnamed law enforcement source as saying four people had been killed and dozens injured on Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.

In a press conference shortly afterwards, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said he would not be releasing information about injuries for the time being, calling the situation “very fluid”.

“Obviously, what you see behind us is an evil thing today,” he told reporters.

“I want to give our sympathies to our community, our school system, our kids, our parents, that had to witness this today.”

He explained that, around 9:30am local time [13:30 GMT], local law enforcement received an initial call “that there was an active shooter on this campus”.

“At approximately 10:23am [14:23 GMT], officers from multiple law enforcement agencies and fire/EMS [emergency medical services] personnel were dispatched to the high school in reference to a reported active shooting,” the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office later said in a statement.

The sheriff’s office said a suspect is in custody, and the Reuters news agency reported a spokesperson for the school district said the situation is now under control.

“We’re in the process of reunifying our students with their parents,” Sheriff Smith said. “Obviously that’s chaotic. But we want to be respectful of them and their privacy as well.”

Live television coverage showed ambulances appearing on the scene, and the CNN news channel reported seeing a helicopter landing to evacuate the wounded.

The White House said President Joe Biden was informed of the incident, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it dispatched officers to the scene.

The incident is the latest school shooting in the US, where such attacks have become relatively frequent. Critics say they underscore the country’s stasis on the question of gun violence as conservative lawmakers continue to block calls for additional firearms regulations.

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis in June, saying it has “led to loss of life, unimaginable pain and profound grief for far too many Americans”.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies